Solo risks - getting lost

The thread about going solo got me thinking of a side issue; not getting lost. Never happened? [snip]

Edit: this was a description of a waypoint projector. The graphic is now on www.larryscascaderesource.com

Larry sounds like you got your system dialed.  Eventually I'll follow suit but until then...getting lost is fun and builds character.  GPS is cheating.  Much rather Lewis & Clark my way around or better yet everyone should carry an Eli.  What's an Eli you ask.  Yo Eli where are you???



It's really boring at work plus I just got back from Ski Bonkers to find everyone at work gone!

I can't get that pic link to work...

I tried to get a little lost on a nasty day on the Muir Snowfield to see if I could use my gps to navigate back to Pebble Creek.   However a group of Olympia Mountaineers saw me way off the track and insisted that I join their group.  I tried to tell them I was ok but the group leader was insistant.  I figured my little excercise was about done and joined them just to make them feel better. 

I just have the little Etrex.  If I were to get a new gps it would have the compass built in. 

I have found it easier to get lost going down a mountain as opposed to going up.   When going up, you always know where the top is... it's up there.  However, when headed down a small deviation in direction can put you a mile off course.  'Course all you mountain folks have figured that out by now.

I took an alternate route down St. Helens once to take advantage of the snow patches and was amazed how far away I was from treeline trailhead.

First time I climbed St. Helens (alone), it was night and I didn't even know where the trail after the treeline was located.... I just climbed straight up.  I figured that I couldn't get lost going up.  I actually found a post with an arrow tag on it pointing to the trail to my left.  I followed it and found the trail and followed those posts up the ridge all night.

What I have found useful is to set my gps to the UTM coordinate system and print my map out using a UTM grid of 100 meters.  When I read the UTM coordinates on the gps, then it's pretty easy to find it on the map.  This is especially nice when in the trees and looking for a small lake that is on the map.

Sometimes I get a little panic feeling because the terrain isn't as I remembered it from before.  (poor terrain memory?).  That just bothers me.  I guess that is called "getting lost".